Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-30
SPRING ADORNINGS.
TIMELY HINTS FOR FRIGHTENING
THE HOUSE.
New Ways of Making and Arranging
Curtains-Tables, Screens and
Others Items of Use.
philadelphia Record. I

household belongings. Shabby upholster-
ings are furnished and freshened as far as
possible, and those that are so far gone as
to be beyond repair must be replaced by
new ones. And no matter in how good a
state of preservation the carpets and fur
nishings in general may be, there is in al
most every house an annual demand for
new hangings of one sort or another which
becomes almost necessity when the
bright spring sunshine discloses the raw
ages that time and dust have wrought
Whatever else is neglected the window
blinds and curtains must be in apple-pie
order, lest the whole house have the ap-
pearance of decay. Hence housekeepers in
general are always glad to know of the last
new thing in this line.
NEW WAYS OF DRAFTING THE WINDOWS.
The regulation lace or muslin curtains
put up in the regulation way are thing
of the past that is, they are no longer
considered the hight of fashion, although
some conservative women still cling to the
style and renew them as often as may seem
necessary. But the present fancy is for
thin India silk curtains, and terra Gotta is
par excellence the favorite color, although
pale-blue, olive and other shades are often
preferred. These are used both as draper
les and sash curtains, although there is a
tendency to leave the upper part of the
window open to the light or at best only
vailed with a valance of embroidered linen
or muslin. There is also fancy for Sc
curing these curtains closely against the
window from top to bottom, French fash
ion, and fastening each half back midway
or at the cross-piece. 1t is, of course, diff
cult 10 lower or raise the window without
soiling the curtain but what will women
not sacrifice to fashion,?
ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENT OF FOLDS.
Curtains in general are much less full
than formerly. This change is probably
due to the fancy for colored and figured
curtains, where fullness is destructive to
the display of design. These are ALWAYS
hung on poles SLENDER brass ones are pre-
ferred) by rings, and are always looped
back so that the window fullfls its intent
to admit light and air, and to afford a
glimpse of the outside world. A pretty
way of hanging curtains is to mount both
on one-half of the pole. One curtain is
left to hang straight, the other is brought
behind the pole and forward over it so that
its free end falls part way to the floor,
while the attached end forms a graceful
festoon just below the pole There is an
art in this arrangement so that it shall not
have stiff, fixed look but well draped the
effect is good.
CHANCE FOR ORIGINALITY.
Broad sash ribbon is used to draw back
curtains; so are plush bands, made in fam
shapes or other fanciful forms; but the
newest thing for the purpose is bright silk
handkerchiefs, which are susceptible of
graceful arrangement. There is not much
that is new in the way of curtain stuff can
vas in different colors and the Beypore
muslins, which are somewhat thicker. be-
ing the greatest novelties among the low
priced fabrics. But there are many new
ways of using the old ones, so that they
seem almost like novelties. The woman
with an eye for color cannot go far astray
if she choose colored curtains in harmony
with her other house-furnishings
TABLES OF ALL SORTS.
There is rage for tables of all sorts.
Many of these are chosen in the white
wood and decorated to suit the fancy.
. Others are made as white as white can be
with enameled paints, and decorated very
simply with tracings of gold or silver.
These, however. are mainly used in the
white rooms" for which such fancy has
suddenly sprung up. The old-time hour
glass" table covered with some fabric.
nailed around the circular, top and bottom,
and tied in the center with q broad sash
ribbon) is to the fore again But while in
former days this peculiar table was rele-
gated to bedroom use, it is now seen in
drawing rooms, as an elbow table. or to
hold bric-a-brac. The greatest novelty in
tables is that made in imitation of the
Turkish understands. 1t is quite low, and
has six or eight legs carved to resemble
hal ST. el,s,. =
support Benares tray, although piece
of wood is sometimes used instead Of the
tray.
A USEFUL ARTICLE MISPLACED.
Milking stools still hold their own. and
are considered most desirable when of
carved oak, apparently mellowed by the
hand OF time; but in reality the mellowing
process is most frequently done by some
ingenious workman.
NOVEL IDEAS FOR SCREENS.
In the way of screens there is practically
no end of ideas. The black satin screens,
with raised gilt japanese birds and flow.
ers, are much cheaper than formerly, and
have lost none oftheir popularity Screens
for bed or sitting-room use are frequently
supplied with pockets to hold fancy work.
photographs. etc. The pockets are some
times also seen on more pretentious
screens, and are made to hold larger pho
tographs. or other mounted pictures. The
pockets or pictures are really nothing
more or less than a strap of ribbon or
plush fastened at suitable intervals and
placed diagonally or straight across the
screen panel. A new notion is to en-
broider piece of cloth of suitable size and
merely throw it over the screen frame
which may be covered with some cheap
fabric. The drapery is tackled or other
wise invisibly secured in carefully careless
folds and is very artistic. Two pieces of
work, one on each side of the screen, are
thus often displayed. There is sense in this
arrangement of screen drapery in that it
can be utilized for some other purpose
upon demand. The curious Oriental EN-
broideries in red and yellow, with inserted
pieces of glass or taic, to represent jewels,
are elegant for this purpose, but they are
costly as yet. They are often used for por-
there's also.
AN INEXPENSIVE ITEM OF LUXURY.
The prettiest lounge have seen for many
a day was OF the Turkish pattern, covered
simply with muslin and draped with
piece of Oriental tapestry or embroidery,
fcinged all around. This drapery hung to
the floor on all sides and was suggestive
OF great luxury at comparative small ex-
penSe.
HOMEMADE AND USEFUL.
A description of a boot receptacle the
other day struck me as being the ne plus
ultra of utility, and which withal might
be made thing of beauty 1t was made of
common laths nailed together, with three
shelves fitted inside and door to open.
The hight was twenty-eight inches and the
breadth about eighteen inches. although
the size is matter of individual taste and
convenience. The top serves as table
The covering of this one was diagonal
serge, while into the door was fitted a
panel of the serge worked in crewels with
bold floral pattern. Cretonne would
cover the articles charmingly, and thus
the cost would be reduced to the minimum
while neither the usefulness nor the
comely appearance would be lessened.
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